award winning web design & development

Are your products or services geared towards only one target market? You can increase sales and profits by increasing your target markets. Below are some creative ways to increase your target markets by using your existing products and services you’re selling right now.

REDESIGN
You can increase your target markets by redesigning your products and services. For example: you’re selling a book called “Internet Marketing Tips For Accountants” You could rewrite part of your book and call it “Internet Marketing Tips For Lawyers”. You’ve now increased your target markets by redesigning your book.

ADD-ON
You can increase your target markets by adding on other product or service with your main one. For example: if you’re selling a football magazine you could add a free football when someone buys a subscription. You’re now targeting people who want the football magazine and those that want to play football out in the yard. Sometimes they buy stuff just to get the freebies.

TEAM-UP
You can increase your target markets by doing a cross promotion with a similar non-competeing businesses. For example: your business sells tennis rackets and you find another business to cross promote with that sells tennis balls. You could combine your racket and their balls in one package. You are now targeting people that need tennis rackets and balls.

Web Site Awards are given from other sites to reward your site for a specific reason. They will usually give you an award graphicor text link to include on your site if you win. Awards are great to display on your Web site because they will give your business more credibility to your visitors and customers.

Some things your Web site could be awarded for are:

Web Design
Content
Load Time
Web Features
Ease of use
Originality

If you think you have a chance to win one of these awards submit your Web site to the sites that give out web awards. Visit other peoples Web sites and see what awards they have won. Only register for awards that are related to the content of your Web site; this helps promote your site to your targeted audience.

Before you register to win an award, make sure your Web site is ready. Your sites content spelling and grammar should be correct. It should be easy to navigate through your Web site. Graphics should be related to the content on your page.

Create your own awards site for other Web sites. Give the winners a graphic or text link to place on their Web site when they win. This will link your Web site to theirs and draw more traffic to your Web site.

Cross promoting is when two or more businesses promote their products or services together. I try to find businesses that have the same target audience, but are not in direct competition with my business. Doing cross promotions with other businesses  increases your profits, sales, and beat your competition.

You can find businesses to cross promote all over the Internet.  Participate in e-mail discussion groups, online forums and newsgroups that deal with your target audience. Subscribe to e-zines that deal with your targeted audience. Note on your Web site or e-zine that you are interested in cross promoting your products and services.  Search in your favorite web directories and search engines to find targeted businesses.

Cross promoting has many benefits.  Save money by sharing the advertising and marketing costs. Save time when both businesses share the workload.  You can offer your customers new products and services. Get referrals from the other business’ clients.  Receive valuable information from the business.

Once you find a business you would like to cross promote with simply e-mail them your proposal. Tell the business owner the benefits of the cross promotion. Explain to him or her why it would be a win/win situation for both of your businesses. Give them a lot of compliments about their business, Web site, products and services. Using all three methods above will greater your chance for a profitable cross promotion. Good Luck!

Holding a contest or sweepstakes can draw a lot of traffic to your Web site. You can announce your site to hundreds of Web sites that list free contests and sweepstakes. Send out a press releases about your contest or sweepstakes. Ask entrants to your contest or sweepstakes if they would accept offers from your business in the future by e-mail.

The prizes should be something your target audience would need or want. Try to be as original as possible with the prizes you are offering. Always offer more than one prize, a grand prize and runner-up prizes. Use your products or services to give away as prizes. Make sure your prizes have some value, nothing cheap. Give enough information about all the prizes, so people will be interested in entering.

Make it easy for people to enter your contest or sweeps-takes. I feel the easiest ways online are from an entry form on your Web site or by e-mail. Capture as much info. as you can when they enter your contest or sweepstakes like: 

Company Name
First/Last Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Day/Evening Phone Number
E-mail Address
Web Site Address
Purchasing History
Survey Questions

Give your contest or sweepstakes a professional look and feel. Provide an “Official Rules” Web page for your contest or sweepstakes. Include a time period of how long your contest or sweepstakes will be held. Tell visitors how you will deliver the prizes. Include pictures of the prizes on your site. Tell visitors who will judge your contest. Check out other contests and sweepstakes Web sites to get more ideas.

1. People will visit your web site to get the free valuable information.

2. Advertise your products or services in the e-book.

3. You will become known as an expert on the subject of the e-book.

4. Offer the e-book as a free bonus for purchasing one of your products or services.

5. Allow other people give away the e-book to increase visitors to your web site.

6. Gain new leads by having people sign up and give their contact information before they can download your e-book.

7. The word “FREE” is the most appealing word on the internet.

8. Conduct market research asking people to fill out a survey before getting the e-book.

9. Make money selling advertising space in the e-book.

10. Give away the e-book as a special gift to your current customers letting them know you appreciate their business.

11. Gain free advertising by submitting the e-book on freebie sites.

12. Make money selling the reprint rights to people who would like to sell the e-book.

13. You’ll gain valuable referrals from people telling others about your e-book.

14. Make money cross promoting the e-book as a free bonus with other people’s products or services.

15. Gain free publicity sending press releases announcing your ‘’Free E-book Giveaway.'’

16. Increase subscribers to your e-zine by giving away the e-book as an incentive to subscribe.

17. Give away the e-book to people that join your affiliate program.

18. The biggest reason you should write an e-book and then give it away for free: you’ll feel good helping people improve their lives.